According to BNZ’s own research, nearly half the country could still be paying off their mortgages when they’re in their 70s. The drive to get a place on and up the property ladder has left many buying later, and paying for longer.

As the number of buyers in the market declined, but the size of their borrowing increased, the banking industry fought hard to capture share by serving up ever increasing acquisition offers and deal sweeteners.

Everyone’s attention was on what it would take to get New Zealanders into a Home Loan. But BNZ chose a different approach: their “Be Good With Money” brand mission provided an opportunity to have a conversation that no-one else was having. Paying down your home loan faster is one of the smartest moves you can make to maximise your lifetime’s wealth. So rather than focusing solely on reasons to get into a home loan and driving ever higher levels of personal debt, they chose to focus on the end date and getting out of it sooner. They effectively positioned themselves to sell more home loans by encouraging people to get rid of theirs.

The tension created with a deliberately confronting question was quickly resolved through a simple digital utility that allowed users to examine their position and start the process of reducing their debt levels.

Smart data capture and lead nurture kept customers engaged with the programme and on the journey to switch their Home Loans to a bank that was committed to helping them be good with their money.

This highly profitable campaign delivered the highest ever levels of Home Loan application by encouraging people out of their debt.